Improvement in manufacturing bricks



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Im'pro'vement in Manufacturing Bricks-e NO. 132,463. Patente-(10m.22,1872l Stake.

c' u." l l MINIMA 5 l l. GREGG.

improvement in Manufacturing Bricks.

Patented oct. 22,1872.4

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l. GREGGY. l Improvemenf in Manufacturing Bricks.

N0. 132,463.. Patented Oct. 22,1872.

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l. GREGG.

lmprnvement in Manufacturing Bricks.

NO. 132,463. Patented Oct. 22, 1872.

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i. GREGG.

Improvement n Manufacturing Bricks..

No.. 132,463. Patented ocr-.22,1871

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improvement in Manufacturing Bricks.

N0. 132,463..v Patented Oct. 22,1872.

ISAAC GREGG, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MANUFACTURING BRICKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,463, dated October 22, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC GREGG, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Art of Manufacturing Bricks, of which the following is a specification? My invention relates more particularly to a new and improved method and machine for molding, impacting, and sizing bricks, but some of the devices for carrying my invention into effect may be obviously used in machines acting upon a differentprinciple and producing different results.

The machines that are now in general use, so far as my knowledge extends, have molded and solidified the clay by the force of compression, which has been attended with many and serious objections. When the clay is subjected to pressure or the force of compression it has been found that the air permeating the clay is condensed in the mass, no opportunity being offered for-its escape during the process,and when it is subjected' to heat the air will expand and cause the bricks to crack. This method also requires a great degree of power to give to the brick the proper solidity, thus materially affecting the cost of operating the machine and also subjecting it to severe strains which tend to break and disorganize the mechanism.

Attempts have been made heretofore to solidify the clay by the impact or percussion of falling bodies. This methodtends in a great degree to increase the density ofthe clay, While the concussion of the blow disturbs the air therein and aids materially in its escape. It has been demonstrated by experiment that a far greater force can be exerted to solidify the clay by this means than could be obtained from the power required to lift the weights if employed to compress the clay. The methods heretofore used and the machinery employed for manufacturing' bricks upon this principle have been imperfect and are not now in successful use.

It is the object of my invention to apply an improved method and a more complete and effectual mechanism for applying the principle of impact to the manufacture of bricks whereby the clay may be subjected to a rapid, thorough, and uniform treatment, and the machinery operated withless power and at a greatly reduced cost. The improvements consist, first, in a novel method of manufacturing bricks by first supplying the clay in proper condition to the mold 5 then moving' the mold to a beater, Where it is stopped while the clay is impacted in the mold by a succession of blows from the beater then moving the mold to a knife to size the brick, and finally ejecting the finished brick from the mold by the connected and progressive movements of the mold, as hereinafter set forth. Second, of the combination of a revolving table of mold-boxes and stamps or beaters to impact the clay in the molds, as hereinafter set forth. Third, of the combination of a revolving table carrying moldboxes having an automatic intermittent movement and intermittently operating beaters to impact the clay in the molds, the table and beaters operating alternately, as hereinafter set forth. Fourth, 'of the combination, with the mold-table and beaters, of devices to guide the beaters in descending upon the clay in the molds, as hereinafter set forth. Fifth, ofthe combination of an intermittently-rotating table of mold-boxes, followers in the molds, and an anvil beneath the table, upon which the followers rest to prevent their yielding While the clay is being impacted, as hereinafter set forth. Sixth, of the combination of a mold-- box to hold the clay-beaters to impact the clay, a continually-moving tripping device,

and an automatic detent to intermit the action of the tripping device upon the beaters,-as hereinafter set forth. Seventh, of the combination of the mold-box, the beaters, 'the -tripping device, and a spring to accelerate the movement of the beaters, as hereinafter set forth. Eighth, of the combination of the beaters, the trippers, the mechanism for opera-tin g the trippers, and devices for preventing the movement of the trippers from being reversed, as hereinafter set forth. Ninth, ofthe combination and arrangement of the driving-shaft, the,

counter-shaft, the crank shaft, the crank, the pawl, the revolving mold-table, and its ratchets for operating the table, as hereinafterdescribed.

Tenth, of the combination of the revolvingY mold-table, its ratchets, the continuallymov ing pawl, and the devices for disengaging the pawl, whereby the motion of the table is intermitted at regular intervals, as hereinafter setA forth. Eleventh, of the combination of the intermittently-revolving mold-table, its ratch-. ets, the pawl, the disengaging device for intermitting the action of the pawl, and a detent to prevent the backward movement of the table when the pawlis disengaged fromthe ratchets, as hereinafter described. Twelfth,-

of the combination of the movable table, the mold-boxes, the beaters, the followers, the horizontal anvil, the inclined plane for raising the followers, the horizontal plane, and a knife arranged above the plane for sizing and leveling the bricks as they pass beneath it, as hereinafter described. Thirteenth, of the combination of the table, the mold-box, the followers, the incline for raising the brick to the knife, a smoothing-iron, and a friction-roller for raising the brick to the smoothing-iron to be finished, as hereinafter described. v y

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of my machine; Fig. 2 is a front elevation with one of the mold-boxes in section while under the beaters; Fig. 3, a side elevation with one of the mold-boxes in section while under the knife, and with part of the framework broken away to show more clearly the tripping mechanism; Fig. 4, a rear elevation with one of the mold-boxes in section, showing the bricks raised in the mold ready for delivery 5` Fig. 5, an elevation from the side opposite Fig. 3, partly in section, showing the plungers withdrawn from the molds and leaving them ready to receive a new" supply of clay;

Fig. 6, a bottom view of the mold-tablede` tached, on a smaller scale; Fig. 7, a top view of the same; and Fig. 8, a plan view of part of the frame, showing the inclines for raisingl and withdrawing the followers, as hereinafter described.

The main frame A has a circular base, A1, and an elevated platform, A2, of corresponding shapeto support the gearing and shafting. Suitable uprights A3, A4, A5, A6, A, and A3 serve to support the platform and other parts of the machine and securely brace and connect them together. The platform may be connected with the base of themachine by a suitable ladder, and protected by railings, to aid the atl tendant in repairing, oilin g, and inspecting the 1n achiuery. A circular mold-table, B, has ratchet-teeth B1 formed on its periphery, and arms B2 extending across its diameter to form a hub, B3, which is supported by a similar hub, A9, and arms A1o connected with the base ofthe frame. A center-bolt, C, is secured to the hub A3, and serves as a journal for the hub B3 of the mold-table. boxes, D, each having, in this instance, three molds, Dl D2 D3, are bolted to the mold-table, and formed with rectangular openings or guideways D4 in their inner flanges, as hereinafter described. Each mold is provided with a follower, E, that ts snugly therein, and has a pendent stem, E', with a pin or lug, e, at its lower end, which serves to depress the followers in their molds, as hereinafter set forth. Av cylindrical hopper, F, with a neck, F1, to re- A suitable number of mold` ceive the clay, is securely bolted to the upright A3 and has a plate or ange, F2, at its base that bears lightly upon the face of the moldboxes and aids to steady their movement and keep them in place. A revolving shaft, F3, operated by a bevel-pinion, F4, connected with thedriving-shaft, is journaled at the top, and passes through the axis of the cylindrical hopper, and is provided with radial arms F5 that revolve with the shaft and serve to agitate the clay and feed it regularly to the molds. A vertical rod or stem, G, is supported and guided at its upper end in a cross-brace that connects the uprights A, and is secured vat its lower end to a cross-head, G1, which is connected with guide-rods G2 secured to the uprights A4 of the frame. A set of beaters, G3, G4, and G5, are slightly smaller than the molds on the table to permit the air to escape when impacting the clay, are secured to the cross-head, and may be made of any suitable weight and material. A driving-shaft, H, journaled in bearing-blocks h on the frame A2, is, in this instance, connected, by a belt, H1, with pulleys H2 on al shaft supported on the base A of the frame, and operated by the main drivin g power. An arm, I, pivotedatone end to a bracket, I', on the frame, carries at the other end a weighted roller that bears upon the belt H1 and serves to keep it taut in a well-known manner.` Tripping-arms J ,of suitable form, are secured to the driving-shaft and `revolve with it. A plate, G3, is secured onthe rod G at a proper point to be operated upon by the arm J to raise the beaters a sufficient height and let them drop, at proper intervals, upon the clay in the mold and give to it the requisite soldity. A plate, K, braces and connects the beaters G3,'G4, and G5 together, and an arm, K', projects downward therefrom, and is wedge-shaped to better enableitto pass into the rectangular space or guide-way D4 in the mold-box. By this means the molds are always brought directly in line with the beaters and the edges of the molds never injured. It is important that the edges of the molds should be sharp and perfect, as otherwise thek sizing-knife would not give a smooth finish to thebrick. `An anvil, L, is securely bolted to the base A2 of the frame, and serves Vto support the followers and receive the shock of the blow from the beaters. A spurgear, M, secured to the shaft M1 is driven by a pinion, M2, on the main shaft, which is in this instance of such proportion that lsix revolutions 'or staple, G2, on the plate G3, and serves to support the beaters and prevent them from being acted upon by the tripping-arms. rllhe groove in the face of the cam-wheelN is of suchA form th at the detent is engaged with the staple during one-half of the revolution of the camwheel or three revolutions of the driving-shaft and trippers, and disengaged with the same during the other half of the revolution of the shaft and the other three revolutions of the trippers. Other proportions may be used, however, if found desirable. A coiled spring, G3, secured to the cross-brace of the ruprights A4, eneircles the upper part-of the rod G, and bears upon theplate GrG when it is raised so as to accelerate the blow of the beaters when they are raised by the trippin g-arms or released from the detent. A clutch mechanism, consisting in this instance of a ratchet-wheel, H3, secured to one of the driving-pulleys, and a pawl, H4, attached to the frame, serves to prevent the driving-shaft and tripping-arms from being reversed by any accidental cause and the mechanism thereby deranged. Other well-known clutch devices may be substituted for the ratchet-wheel and pawl to accomplish the same purpose. The driving-shaft H has a bevel-pinion, H3, that meshes with a corresponding pinion, O1, upon a counter-shaft, O, which is journaled in bearing-boxes o o on the upper frame A3,4 and revolves at a uniform speed with the drivin g-shaft. The countersh aft is at right angles to the drivin g-shaft, and passes directly over the shaft F3 of the hopper and extends to the rear of the machine. Miter-pinions, 02 and F4, connect the countershaft with the shaft F3 and serve to operate it positively and at a regulated speed. Other miter-pinions, O3 and P1, connect the countershaft and crank-shaft P and serve to operate it in the same way. The crank-shaftP is supported in a vertical position by bearings in the upright A3, and has a crank-wheel, P2, secured to its lower end. A pawl, P3, is connected, by an adjustable wrist-pin, p, with the crankwheel, and is held against the face of the ratchets of the table by a spring-roller, P4, secured to the upright A3 of the frame. By this arrangement of shafting the pawl is operated by the driving-shaft continually in a uniform manner with but little loss of power. A camwheel, Q, on the shaft M1, has a groove, q, formed in its periphery that receives a frictionroller, q', on the lower end of an arm, Q1, pivoted to a bracket, Q3, on the upper frame. The upper end of the arm Q1 is'connected, by a link, Q3, with a bell-crank lever, Q4, also journaled in brackets Q5 on the upper frame, so that the lever and arm are vibrated together by the action of the cam upon the roller of the arm. A link, Q3, connects the bellcrank lever with a vertical rod, Q, supported by brackets upon the upright A3 of the frame, and provided with a wedge-shaped switch, Q3, at itsA lower end. The rod Q7 receives an intermittent vertical movement through the cam, arm, links, and bell-crank lever, and serves to disengage the pawl, with its ratchet, at regulated intervals, and by this means intermits the movement of the table. The groovesn and q in the cam-wheels N and Q are so formed, and have such relation to each other, that when the detent is engaged to arrest the action of the beaters the switch will be withdrawn to permit the pawl to act upon and revolve the table. A spring-detent, Q9, prevents the accidental backward movement of the table when the pawl is disengaged by the switch. This combination of devices insures a positive intermittent movement ofthe table and a positive intermittent movement ofthe beaters, operatin g alternately. The anvil L above referred to has a horizontall face and a beveled or rounded edge, l, that raises the followers slightly above the table when they rest upon the anvil, so as to relieve the table of the concussion of the blow when struck by the beaters, and also insures the uniform depth of the molds. An incline plane, L1, gradually raises the followers in the molds until they reach a horizontal plane, L2, arranged directly below a sizing-knife, R, secured .to the upright A6 of the frame, and the bricks are by this means leveled off at a uniform thickness. A smoothing-iron, S, is secured to and made adjustable on the upright A6 of the frame, and a roller, T, journaled to the base of the frame, is arranged directly beneath the smoothingiron and at the termination of the horizontal plane just described. This roller serves to raise the follower and present the bricks directly and easily to the smoothing-iron to be finally finished upon its surface. The incline plane L1 continues from the top of the roller T to the rear of the machine, where the bricks are completely ejected from the molds and ready to be taken from the machine. An inversed incline, L3, is arranged at the end of the incline L1, with flanges Z3 Z3 that bear upon the pins e of the follower-stems as the table revolves, and serve to withdraw the followers: to their normal position to prepare the molds to receive a new supply of clay when they have reached the hopper in their second revolution.

The operation is as follows: The clay is first prepared by means well known to the art and delivered to the neck'of the hopper, by means of an endless belt or other suitable contrivance, in a comminuted and slightly moist condition. The agitator, revolving at a regulated speed, supplies the clay to the --molds in a uniform manner. In the drawing, Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent the detent withdrawn from the beaters, the tripping-arms supporting the beaters in an elevated position and about to make theiriirst blow; the switch has just been thrown into operation to release the pawl from the ratchets of the table, and the table thereby at rest. The driving-shaft now makes three revolutions; the beaters give lthree blows to the clay in mold-box No. l, and lift the beaters to their elevated position; the detent then engages with the beaters; the switch is withdrawn from the pawl and the table is moved by the next three revolutions of the drivingshaft to bring box No. 2 under the action of the beaters. This operation continues, and the mold-boxes, after leaving the beaters, pass on to the knife and smoothing-iron. The followers are raised by the incline and roller, as described, and the bricks are sized by the knife and finished on their upper surface by the smoothing-iron. The inclinecontinues to raise the brick in the mold until it is finally ejected at the rear of the machine. The inverse ineline then operates upon the pins in the stems ofthe plun gers and withdraws them from the molds to prepare the mold toreceive a new supply of clay from the hopper.

I claim as my invention- 1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing bricks, consisting in first supplying the clay to the mold; then subjecting the clay in the mold to successive blows 5 then presenting the brick to a sizing-knife; and, finally, ejecting the brick from the mold by a connected progressive movement of the mold, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a revolving mold-table with stamps or beaters to impact the clay in the molds, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a revolving mold-table having an automatic intermittent movement, and intermittently-operating beaters for impacting the clay during the pause in the movement of the table, substantiallyr as set forth.

4. The combination of the revolving` moldtable, the beaters, the guide-arm, and the guide- Way, to insure the proper position of the moldtable during the action of the beaters, substantially a-s set forth.

5. The combination of the intermittently-rotating table of mold-boxes, the beaters, the followers in the molds, and the anvil to support the followers during the action of the beaters, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination ofthe table, the molds, the beaters, lthe continually-moving tripper, and an automatic detent to intermit the operation of the beaters, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the mold-table, the beaters, the tripper, and the springto accelerate the movement of the beaters, as set forth.

S. The combination of the beaters, the tripper, the driving-shaft, and the clutch mechanism to prevent the reverse movement of the trippers, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of the driving-shaft, the counter-shaft, the crank-shaft, the crank, the pawl, the mold-table, and the ratchets, these parts being arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

l0. The combination ofthe revolving moldtable, its ratchets, the continually moving pawl, and the switch for disengaging the pawl to intermit the movement ofthe table at regular intervals, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The combination ofthe revolving moldtable, its ratchets, the pawl, the switch for disengaging the pawl to intermit the operation of the table, and the detent to prevent the backward movement ofthe table, as set forth.

l2. The combination of the table, the moldboxes, their followers, the beaters, the hori- Zontal anvil, the inclined plane, the horizontal plane, and the sizing-knife, these parts being arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. The combination, in the manner described, ofthe revolving table, the mold-boxes, the followers, the incline, the stationary friction-roller, and the smoothing-iron, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ISAAC GREGG.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Rown, J on I. Pnv'roN. 

